Nagoya Castle

The most traditional building in my hometown is Nagoya Castle. It is in the centre of Nagoya-city.

On top of Nagoya Castle there are two gold statues of fish. Usually, the statues are called the "kin-no shachihoko" by most people.

If you go up to the "tenshukaku" of Nagoya castle, you can see all of Nagoya city, and airplanes departing form Nagoya airport.

If you go into Nagoya Castle, you have to pay JPY500.

Tourism 101 in Azumino

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Luna was asked recently to help the good people of Azumino get a step ahead in their ambitions to develop tourism locally. Jim has been involved with the Yokoso Matsumoto project for a couple of years now (as has Tana more recently), and is glad to be contributing to our neighbouring "city's" outreach too.

This evening 20 local business operators in the local tourist industry took part in a two and a half hour introductory workshop with Jim. All participants were self-declared "beginners" (some more so than others). The aim this evening was to give a lot of encouragement, as quickly as possible, in genuinely useful situations. For Jim, it was actually unusual to have a group of people in such urgent need of even basic English - and therefore very challenging to provide relevant, simple language.

How do you satisfy 20 people from different sectors of the tourist trade with little in common other than location and a large 'fear of English' factor? Not possible. What you can do is facilitate their latent learning (8+ years through school for a start) & in-service experience to speak up - with a template. Give them a pattern to form their language around, show there is a place to start and that they 'can do'.

Today, speaking was top priority - overcoming that "Oh my God. A foreigner has rocked up & wants to check in" syndrome. Name, rank & number. Observe, practice, do!

Some useful language - counting is 'different' in Japan. Foreigners don't know katakana (the most useless script ever) so "How do you spell that?" has to be Q1a at a hotel/ryokan, doesn't it?

Time flew; the Shimin Times lady came, flashed, and went. Everyone made new friends, English questions and answers in the air (Jim's threat to charge Japanese usage with a beer tax was taken seriously). Everyone got the chance to practice some simple exchanges, and it looked like everyone relaxed and got a lot out of the evening.

What do you think?

Matsumoto castle

The most famous building in my town is Matsumoto castle. It is in the center of Matsumoto, Nagano.

I don’t know the architect of the castle. It was built about 600 years ago. It is nominated as a Japanese national treasure.

Matsumoto castle has black walls, so people call it “Crow-castle”. There is a garden around the castle. Cherry trees bloom there in spring. Matsumoto-Bon Bon Dance festival is held in summer, a buckwheat noodle festival is held in autumn, and an Ice festival held in winter (last weekend).

Inside the castle it is dark. There are a lot of old things.

The view is fantastic from the top floor of the castle. We can see Matsumoto city and the Japan Alps.

You should go to the castle because it is a valuable building.

One of seven - what do you do?

Attendance isn't usually a problem I have to worry about much with my business classes, so I have gradually relocated my stock of 'emergency' activities to more likely places (back of the car, mostly!). By about 8.40 this morning I was wishing I hadn't been so complacent.

The one student who did turn up, of the seven I was expecting, has just come back from a lengthy placement ie has missed the last two months because he was on Yamada denki skivvy duty ("researching sales outlet & consumer behaviour"). So, plan A went flying out the window (closed, it was bracing this morning)...

I did not want to wade into 8 weeks catch up, in case stragglers turned up. Luckily these days I have internet access in the classroom, albeit limited. Fortunately the book we are using has a variety of rather good resources online (becoming a very important component of any materials package). Thank you OUP & Clive Oxenden!
Got to say I am a flag waving fan of the English File series :)

Blended learning then, initially teacher directed until he figured out the parameters and started challenging himself. He self-diagnosed a weakness with prepositions, so we found an activity to practice them. After that, a text completion exercise (by which time a colleague had wandered in to join us), a fiddle with some past tense verb patterns, collocation practice and identifying stress patterns in longer words.

I enjoyed seeing my students realise they could do an awful lot more out of class if they have the inclination. I hope they catch the bug!

House & furniture - speaking practice

In class today my Magic Time 2 team managed to keep talking for the entire class, stimulated into action by a fairly simple game and the need to win. They were practically pelting each other by the end, trying to get each other to hurry up and have their turn!

We have done all the groundwork in previous classes, talking about where we live after drawing sketches of our flats/houses. Somehow, I doubt this group includes a future architect! We labeled the pictures and talked about the things we have in various rooms - cultural tip for Japan is that often there is not a designated bedroom, as futons replace beds and are put away during the day as the space becomes the dining/living room.

Aim of the game = get home with a van full of furniture. Land on a space, take the piece of furniture. Some one else lands on the same spot later, rock/scissors/paper for ownership. However, a lot of language along the way, where the children are asked about the item they are picking up...excellent practice for the last part of the Cambridge YLE Starters speaking test.


Sample item = sofa

"What's this?  What colour is it?

 Have you got a sofa in your house?

 What colour is it?  Is it big or small?

 Where is the sofa in your house? (Is it in the bathroom?)

...Here you are..."
 
Of course the players want to focus on the game & get to the end as quickly as possible, so they want to get the questions done asap. My aim is to get as much 'extension' out of the mini-dialogues as I can, without flogging it. At the end of the day, my students probably think they goofed-off for a lesson! Brilliant - all that revision, recycling and activating took place subliminally :)

The Phantom Airman

Is this story SF? or adventure? The characters is the same as Unquiet Graves. Dis children do time-srip in World War II days? I think that this story is "Children is led to a ghost of airman and found the truth". I did not feel fear especially, rather I was interesting.

Unquiet Graves

This story is strange story and fearful story. I hate fearful story. Even if a ghost appears, there is the story that is not fearful. The story that is not fearful does not have a problem. About this story, I did not understand it well.

The Mark of Zorro

This story is hero story. I have the memory that I saw by TV or a movie a long time ago. However, I do not remember it about contents well. Therefore this book was fresh for me. The gentleman that appear normally becomes a hero. It is very interesting. And I have 2 fevarite points. One is a behavior of governor that he admitted the freedom of Zorro. Second is that Zorro take off his mask and Lolita is surprised to see it.I didnt think that the background of this story is California. I thought that is was Spain or South America. And, in a foolish thing, I misunderstood a title of this story. It was "Mask of Zorro" not "Mark of Zorro".

The Darling Buds of May

Q:
Imagine that you are Mr Charlton's boss. You call him into your office before the story begins. You explain why he must see Pop Larkin. You tell him what he must to do there. Write your speech.

A:
The man, named Pop, lives in country. He has a car, farm, and some farm animals. I think he must earn a lot of money, but he doesn't pay a tax. We've sent some letters about liability to a tax　to him, but he hasn't paid tax ever. So can you see him and talk to him about liability to a tax?

The perfect storm

Dear,all.

This is a true story.
The author Sebastian Junger is a writer and traveler.

He was living in Gloucester, a small town on the cost of Massachusetts.
He heard that many fishermen from the town of
Gloucester were on thier boats during that storm.
He decided to write a book about the events that happended in that terrible storm.
The perfect storm was published in the U.S.in 1997 and it became an international best seller.
In 2000 a successful and exciting film (The perfect storm )was made from this story.

I love this story.
So I red it twice.

He expressed　person's inside.
I think that Bobby wished to came back for his girlfriend.
She waited at the pier,where the fishing bots came in for along time.
She couldn't really belive that Bobby was dead.

I would like to watch this film.
by keiko.

Fish & chips

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People often ask me what I miss about the UK, and a good podge out on steaming fish & chips is very high on my list. No plates or knives & forks - no table, not even in the house! Walking home on a cold night after a couple of pints in the pub. Enough salt to give my doctor a heart attack, and evaporating malt vinegar filling the air. Keep having to change hands because the newspaper wrapping is too hot...greasy fingers and just enough loose change for the last bus.

I am so hungry! OK, we can get "fish & chips" in some "English" or "Irish" pubs in Japan (Old Rock in Matsumoto for example) & I had some the weekend before last in Okayama. However, a cold plate, silver cutlery, a hint of salad, and a dollop of tartar sauce is not the same thing at all, and certainly not when you can count the chips and get bugger all change from Y1,000!

What is good fish & chips all about then? Well, apart from the obvious in the first paragraph, it involves things like responsible food sourcing, hygiene & staff training. Check out this article on Britain's best chippy.

Geographically there is an important point in the article too. Students of mine always come back from their three-day trip to 'England' (ie Harrods, Baker St & The British Museum) with complaints about the food. Of course it's rubbish - it's London. And if you went to a pub, the beer's flat and yugh as well. For a decent serving of fish and chips you have to go north, and the further north the better!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Lastly, how do you find a good chippy? Easy, look for the one with the longest queue. The waiting is worth it, the anticipation grows, your tummy rumbles...Enjoy!

The Mark of Zorro

When I finished reading this book, I remembered “Nezumi-kozo” and “Abarenbo shogun”. They are Japan’s historical characters. Many TV shows are made about them.

“Nezumi-kozo” is a thief like Zorro. He steal some money from rich people and then give the money for poor people. He put a hood on his face so that anybody knows who he is. He is a hero of poor and weak people.

Image by ijiwaru jimbo via Flickr

“Abarenbo shogun” is a samurai and he has many friends in Edo town. He visits them some time, but anybody knows where he lives. In fact, he is a shogun(king) of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He watches people in the town and if he finds bad people like the dealer and the judge who getting money in wrong way, he punishes them as a shogun.

I think all people need a hero who fight against bad people and help them. There is no difference between America and Japan, the past and the present.

Posted for Tomoko

Japanese historical figures

My class today was discussing, slowly, famous people and their statues. I have been teaching in Japan long enough not to assume my charges will know all that much about the big wide world across the seas...Still, took a long time for the penny to drop on Chopin, Garibaldi, Nelson & Joan of Arc. Where were they born, who were they, why were they famous, where were their statues? etc

Image via Wikipedia

Last week we had the same faltering exchange over the four US Presidents (Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt & Jefferson) who feature on Mount Rushmore so prominently, and had some bearing on US/world history. My concern last week was rhythm & intonation, getting some bounce into sentences and not pausing after the was/were (and thereby stressing them inappropriately). I actually had them up & swinging their hips to the beat of the sentences - daft? Yes! Did it work? World of difference for one student who 'got it' 100%. (Others just proved you can't dance with your arms folded/hands in your pockets/leaning on a wall/holding a book 3 inches from your face!)

We came to the conclusion that Japan isn't the kind of place where you trip over statues on every corner - at least not of famous people. Matsumoto has an awful lot of iffy ones of semi-naked children...Anyway, as that conversation petered out I asked for their top 5 of historically important Japanese people (each made a list) and from that vote on a top three after describing them a bit. This was their final list.

1. Ryo Sakamoto
2. Tokugawa Ieyasu
3. Hirofumi Ito

(Also in the running were Hirohito, Himeki, Ono Komachi, Shotoko Taishi & Tadataka Ono)

Comments?!

Silver Blaze and Other Stories

This book is mystery.Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solves the mysterious cases called "The Blue Carbuncle" "Silver Blaze" and "The Six Napoleons".

The Blue Carbuncle

The Blue Carbuncle was discovered inside a goose. Who put the Blue Carbuncle inside the goose?

Holmes sets the criminal free at the last. I can't understand though it might be Holmes' gentleness.

Silver Blaze

The racehorse had disappeared immediately before an important race. Holmes discovers the recehorse, and solves the murder.

I like this story. I think they can discover the racehorse early because it does the DNA test now....

The Six Napoleons

Why is the Napoleon bust destroyed?What criminal is looking for?

I was confused because there were a lot of characters this story. I doubted what Holmes had done the acquisition at the end.

Love by Design

I read the book whose title is Love by Design.

This story is a love story for young man and woman.Young man's name is Tom. Tom wanted to be photographer.And so he wanted to go to college, but he couldn't enter college because he haven't be studying.

Young woman's name is Rita. She wanted to be model.They met at library where Tom work.He cooperated her to be model.

All that time they fall in love together.In the end of story, Rita changed her dream from model to designer.

This book wasn't describe the reasen of change.I couldn't understand her mind.I want to know why she changed your dream.

Billy Eliot

Writing 30

You are Billy's teacher at school. He is acting strangely and is often unhappy.

He doesn't want to play sport but he keeps spinning in circles. Write a report for the head teacher about Billy. Tell him everything you know about Billy and his family.

Dear head teacher,

I have a problem about my student. His name is Billy Elliot you know.

His father is coal mines and earns not so much. It isn't problem. Billy is not good at maths, history, literature, especially gym. I don't know how to teach him each subjects. I tried any method, again and again, but he didn't change a little.

Last Sunday, I saw him alone at the park outskirts of town. Do you think what did he do? He was dancing, 'ballet dancing'. At first I surprised very very much. I saw a little time, he jumped very high, he spinning in circles smooth. It looked like flying a butterfly in the field. It was a beautiful show.

I felt he has a talent, special talent of dancing. I try training of dance in gym, next week. How is my idea? I want you to approval about it.

Best wishes

Billy's teacher

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

I have known the name King Arthur and the sword Excalibur. I might read the book or watched TV program about King Arthur when I was a child but I've already forgotten most of this story.

There are lots of characters who helps Arthur and makes great achievements on their quests. I enjoyed reading their episodes. However each personality of these characters are almost alike. Almost all characters are faithful and there aren't any difference among their personality. Only a few characters like Merlin the magician and Mordred who cheated on Arthur showed us different personalities. Except these a few particular characters, all of the knights seemed to be described as well as King Arthur's own character. This helped me to understand the whole story and concentrated to read.

Meanwhile I found that Arthur is the greatest as a King, but he is not good as a husband. He left his wife Guinevere and became caught up in listening stories from his Knight. This caused the parting from his wife and he also lost his champion knight Lancelot. It is difficult to keep balance between work and conjugal life old times and now.

Hideki

Chapter 11

1. Why did Mordred not go on the quest?

Because he offered to care Bedivere who was wounded and to serve the king at court.

2. Why could Lancelot not enter the Grail Chapel?

Because he was not worthy or pure enough.

Grey Owl

29. Describe an animal or a beautiful area that is in danger in your country.
The ptarmigan is in danger in our country. It is specified for the threatened species in Japan. It lives in a cold place in the world. It lives in Japanese high mountains, like Mt. Norikura.

What is the problem?
Recently Japanese mountain’s climate is getting warm, because of global warming. So the number of dwarf Siberian pine decrease. The number of ptarmigan decrease, because it doesn’t get baits.

Is there a way of saving it?
Yes, there is. The way of saving the ptarmigan is that the consumption of the electric power has to be decreased.

BraveHeart

Write#29: Not all the facts in this story are true. But it is a good story! Does it matter if books and films change history? Write your opinions. Think of other examples.

I think every stories has some untrue things, and it's not bad. Stories are just story, not textbook of history. It needs to be interesting. I like books written by "Shiba Ryotaro". He wrote a lot of novels based on real history. He researched a lot of historical facts before writing his books, but still it's far from the true, as everybody know. Oh, that's important point. Most important point is that we reader should realize that it's not perfect true.

Billy Elliot

Write#31: Write a letter from the head teacher at the Royal Ballet School to Billy. Tell him he has passed the audition. He can come to the school.


ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL
Dear Mr. Elliot,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL. Please find enclosed form and send it to us after filling it out.
Term begins September 1. We await your letter by no later than July 31.

We are looking forward to seeing you again.

Yours sincerely,
Jim George,
Headmaster

Dangerous Game

31. Do you know any stories like this?

Write a ghost story for other people in your class to read.

The college (art college in kyoto)I frequented has a lot of stories of ghost.

Someone said the college was built on a large grave before "Edo" era.

Someone said there were a large shelter under the collage where has remained a lot of people since WW2..

One day I remained in the collage during the night for preparing my presentation.

I went down a stair with my friend.

When we passed corner of the stair, my friend said with small voice "hurry a little".

After we reach on ground floor, he told me there were something on the corner.

"However don't worry about that, I find a lot a night .

Sometime something had a costume of old fighter with sword,

sometime something were with children..Actually I was tired to find them.."

In the fact he had a strong ability to feel something like ghost.

Fortunately I don't have any ability like that

and I hope I wouldn't feel them in the future if something is just next to me.

The Promise

This is a story that the baby named Palito was grow up to the famous football player. Palito was entrusted to his parents by a strange woman when he was a baby.The old woman left a strange word.'This baby will become a great man. He will be rich, and will give hapiness to many people.' He succeeded as a football player, he built the children's hospital.

MATILDA

Q.Which part or parts of the story did you enjoy most?Why?
Do you think Roald Dahl is a good writer? Why?

My favorite part of the story is Chapter 2 (Mr Wormwood), because this chapter describes action of Matilda's bad father . I was surprised by his action which trick someone for selling valueless car. Furthermore he said his action to his children proudly. I think that he is crazy and the story would be more interesting as the story continue. However the end of story was just ordinary.
Therefore, I think Roald Dahl is not a good writer. If I was a writer,
it will be more interesting. However, I don't have any idea at now.

Yoichi

Room 13 and Other Ghost Stories

This book is five ghost stories. I don't like ghost story, becouse I hate horror story. But I feel this book is intersting and difficult.

I like story is "THE MESSAGE OF DEATH". This story is revenge story. Karswell is a bat man. He killed Harrington, may be... (Harrington's brother believe Karswell killed Harrinton.) Karswell point new target "Mr. Dunning". Dunning notice Karswell point him. Harrington's brother and Dunning think revenge Karswell. I feel to interresting Dunning revenge in cooperation with Harrinton's brother.

I think to read this book is easy. But detail understanding is not easy to me. I have to study hard English!

Death trap hotel - Toyoko Inn sucks

Last weekend I stayed at the Toyoko Inn in Okayama. I was there on business, and very tired after a tough journey & a busy schedule. I don't mind that the fire alarm went off at just after midnight; I'm glad that these things work (and that it was loud enough to wake me up!). I don't mind that it was a false alarm - better safe than sorry - but I am angry about people who smoke in bed.

I am extremely angry about the hotel's lack of fire safety & the potentially fatal circumstances. I, and all the guests, can count ourselves lucky to be alive.

• All the fire escapes (except one on the 2nd floor) were locked
• There were no fire extinguishers in sight - in rooms or corridors
  
• There were no fire hoses in the corridors
• Staff did not react at all - the two front desk girls stayed there, smiling nervously/bowing
• The fire brigade never came to check the alarm
• The police did not come to check either

I & other guests wasted the vital first minutes (the 'golden time' if you are actually in a fire) being polite, checking other exits & fruitlessly trying to open the fire escape by following the instructions. Mistake. We would all be dead from smoke inhalation or trapped by flames. Some people went back to bed, others appeared with bags packed and fully dressed.

Me? I grabbed the chair from my room and smashed the safety glass door (not easy!) & told everyone I could see on the 9th floor to go down the external stairs. Dangerous, because there was sharp glass still in the frame of the door, and broken glass on the concrete floor/stairs.

When I got to the next floor down, people were standing behind their glass door like we had been, fumbling to open it. I yelled at them to get a chair & smash it. They understood my Japanese? (Maybe context and gesture helped!) They tried with one chair - and broke the chair! The alarm was still ringing so I kicked it very hard. Smash - sharp glass everywhere again. One old man was more scared of me than the alarm and refused to leave the corridor. Reluctantly, I left him there. If there was a fire, emergency services would have to risk their lives to find this stupid old git.

No one on the 7th or 6th floors, but a mum & daughter were looking through their emergency exit on the 5th floor in panic. I realised my own wife & kids would have been in exactly the same situation. Kicking through that glass door cut my foot and ankle, which didn't bother me till later, but cold have been nasty. Other people on the 5th floor ran to escape as well.

When I got to the street, the alarm stopped & we were told it was a 'false alarm'. Someone smoking in bed on the 11th floor.

So nothing to panic about? Well, actually, yes. People could have died in a fire or from smoke inhalation; they could have been crushed to death against the locked emergency exits. Only I got cut by the safety glass, but it is very sharp (not designed to shatter). The glass is also very slippery, which made the staircases dangerous. Then there are the hotel staff who plainly did not know what to do, & no sign of emergency services to give the all clear.

My advice? Don't stay at Toyoko Inn.com until they have changed their fire escapes & implemented new safety procedures.

Anybody else have a horror story like this?